The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-11-04
IMPORTANT CASE SETTLED.

Tuesday was the day fixed for the
trial of the case of r. l.. Mccormick VS..
w. B. Craig for the settlement of the
partnership business of the firm of w.
B. Craig & Co. The case involved
large amount of property-many thous-
ands of Misunderstanding the entire
valuable Empire Stone Quarry and all
machinery used in its operation and en-
braced all the transactions Of the firm,
including large contracts and deals with
outside parties. A large number of law
yers were employed in the case,-B. S.
Lewis, of Waseca, for Mccormick; Col
lester & Foster, A. r. Pfau and J. L.
Washburn for Mr.. Craig.
A number of prominent business men
from Minneapolis and elsewhere were
in attendance as witnesses, or as inter-
ested in the outcome of the action. Up
on the opening of the trial Mr.. Foster
argued that the pleadings showed. that
the Minnesota Stone Company of Min
neapolis was necessary party to the
determination of the action and that the
trial could not proceed without them and
that it was the duty of the plaintiff to
have made them parties. Mr.. Craig
claimed that last March he had pur-
chased Mr.. McCormick's interest in the
entire business of the firm and was to
pay therefor in large amount of stone
to be shipped to Minneapolis to be used
in the construction of large stone build
ing for Messrs. Mccormick and Wolff.
Mr.. Mccormick claimed that he had not
sold Mr.. Craig his interest but had sold
his interest in the real estate upon which
the quarry is situated alone to the Min
nesota Stone Company which had the
contract for the construction of the
building in Minneapolis and that Mr..
Craig had bought the stone quarry from
the Stone Company, and sold to them
the stone used in the building,-thus
leaving his interest in the other prop
erty and credits of the partnership of
w. B. Craig & Co. undisposed of and
maintaining that an accounting should
be rendered him of all the valuable per-
sonal property and outstanding credits
of the firm and all its transactions from
the formation of the partnership in 1882
to the present time. Then the Stone
Company claimed difference of about
s., 900 in the price of the stone and the
question of who should pay certain out
standing claims against the firm and
many other perplexing questions were
involved, all of which has very material
ly INSTRUCTED the free and full operation
of this valuable quarry during the past
season. The Judge ruled that the Stone
Company were necessary parties and
the case was about TO 60 over.
In the meantime DR.. Craig, of James
vile; Mr.. Mccormick of Hayward, Wis
consin, the plaintiff, and Mr.. Van Voreis,
| of Minneapolis, representing the Stone
Company, had some friendly talk Ia
little more oil was poured on by the
Judge and the attorneys and in few
minutes the general terms ola fair and
amicable settlement were agreed upon.
j All afternoon and evening and until q
late hour last night the attorneys and
| DdrLl6b were dG WOTh III MI. NdbilUuTH
Office arranging the details of the settle
ment and the whole matter, involving
thousands of dollars, has all been ad-
ljusted.
Mr.. Craig by this settlement acquires
the entire quarry and succeeds to all the
business of the firm and will hereafter
push the operation of the quarry in q
manner which heretofore he could not
do. His coast is now clear and the adj
justment of these difficulties is a piece
of great good fortune to him and his
friends have good reason for the congrat.
ulations which they join in extending
him. This is also a long stride in the
progress which our city is making this
fall, for the falling off in the operation of
this quarry and of the Ring & Tobin
quarry (which last was not fully operat.
ed for lack of cars to convey the stone,
has not been without its bad affects up
on the laboring class during the sum-
mer, and what affects these classes af-
: fects the general prosperity of the city.
Let Mankato march on as it has for the
past three years and it is only a question
of short time when we will have q, 00C
people, mainly owning their own HON ei
: and having earned them here. Man
r kato has been built by her own none,